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After months of often rancorous negotiations, Canada and the United States have finally reached a deal on a new NAFTA, now known as the USMCA. In today’s The Conversation Canada, we have two thoughtful analyses on the new pact. Blayne Haggart of Brock University warns that the deal will anchor Canada to the United States indefinitely, while Atif Kubursi of McMaster University explains who wins
and who loses under the terms of the agreement. Both authors argue that despite the sense of celebration, the USMCA isn’t as good for Canada as Ottawa would have us believe.
Ten years ago this week, former U.S. president George W. Bush signed into law a massive relief package for America’s banks. Jacqueline Best of the University of Ottawa has a compelling piece on how the bank bailouts and austerity measures following the 2008 financial meltdown helped fuel today’s rise of right-wing populism.
Finally, parasites can take advantage of their hosts, stealing nutrients and resources. But can they control minds? A new movie, Venom, explores the premise – but thankfully Allison E. McDonald of Wilfrid Laurier University assures us it’s unlikely.
Four great reads, and we’ll have more for you tomorrow!
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau gives a thumbs up as he arrives on Parliament Hill the morning after an agreement was reached on a new trade deal with Mexico and the U.S.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Blayne Haggart, Brock University
The relief that the U.S. didn’t make things even worse for Canada in the new NAFTA should be tempered by the realization that the moment of reckoning hasn’t passed; it’s only been postponed.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Foreign Affairs Chrystia Freeland arrive to hold a news conference on the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) in Ottawa on Oct. 1, 2018.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Atif Kubursi, McMaster University
Who are the winners and losers in the new USMCA? It's complicated, but one thing's for certain: Canada should never again allow itself to be overly dependent upon one trading partner.
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The 2008 financial meltdown caused millions of Americans to lose their homes, and the austerity measures that followed only widened income inequality and helped fuel the rise of right-wing populism.
(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
Jacqueline Best, University of Ottawa
Right-wing populists have exploited key weaknesses in liberal democratic society that were exacerbated by the failure of political leaders to respond effectively to the 2008 financial crisis.
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Venom.
Sony Pictures
Allison E. McDonald, Wilfrid Laurier University
Parasites can tip the scales and take advantage of their hosts, stealing nutrients or resources. But can they control minds?
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Arts
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Claudine van Hensbergen, Northumbria University, Newcastle
The writings of John WIlmot, Earl of Rochester, were certainly obscene. But his poetry also gave us a new way of looking at the human condition.
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Environment + Energy
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Anh Phan, Newcastle University
In the EU, 31% of plastic products go to landfill: but a process called "cold plasma pyrolysis" could turn them into clean fuels.
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Health + Medicine
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Michelle Paul, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; Heather Dahl, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; John A. Nixon, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
One year after the Oct. 1 shooting massacre in Las Vegas, a team of scholars from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas offers insights into how to best help those affected by the violence.
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